This year will certainly be another one marked by technological and innovative developments that will continue to shape our everyday lives and aid us in working better. While the economy is still recovering, companies such as Maersk Line, the European Environmental Agency, American Express, Unilever, and GE have successfully embraced new media technologies and used them to grow their business.

But what’s the secret of guaranteed success when adopting these new media technologies?

A few months ago, I attended a meeting where the client raised this exact question and boldly stressed what I had already known – technology is there to support content but content needs to be king.

There is no one-sized fits all approach to ensuring success, but I can tell you with confidence that it is not the quantity of content that matters; it is the quality. It’s fantastic to have the best technology on earth but if your content is poor, you’d lose page visitors. I would say that the how and why are more important than the razzle-dazzle. The technological tools you use should have a symbiotic relationship with your content. Both need to serve their purpose and have meaning, otherwise you’d be left with something that looks nice but lacks meat.

Best practices to live by

• Always put your audience first. Think of what they want to see/read.
• Incorporate compelling pictures, sound, and video. It’s good to put some of these before the text to increase visual appeal.
• Have videos for your campaigns. Indigogo has noticed that campaigns with videos raise 114% more money compared to those without.
• Keep it simple (KIS) and varied. Some people prefer short bursts instead of long narratives while others relish the immersion. Have a combination.
• Have testimonials to bring more credibility to what you’re trying to convey. It’s good to let other people talk.
• Harness the power of storytelling and make your story interesting by narrating in a human way.
• Consider co-creation. As mentioned by Bob Pearson, former VP of communities & conversations at Dell, “in the future corporations will ask communicators to produce content created half by the company and half by the customer.”

The nature of content is constantly changing. The key is to not only keep up with the change but also be ahead of the curve. Content creation has been aiding relationship management, and if you want to keep your credibility, you need to keep communicating, engaging, and connecting with your audiences in a meaningful way.